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Topic: 500th commemorative figure... Vader? (Read 22757 times)

Okay, so I was bored this afternoon and decided to try and figure out exactly how this Vader was the "500th Figure." While I still don't have an exact answer, I have gotten very close to the number 500 by taking several things into account.

Things to take into account (at least the way I came up with them) are that I did not count repaints (ala the Animated Clones or the Saga BDs), rereleases (Imperial Officers, RFTs, Koth, and Teebo in Saga or most of the OTC), or exclusive figures (Star Tours) in this tally. Also, I only went with the single carded figures in the basic line to arrive at this.

Okay, to start with, I went from the only other figure we know of that had an actual number attached to him (arbitarily though it may have been): Boba Fett from 2001. On the back of that figure's box is a list of the first 300 figures, and going by that, figure number 299 was Plo Koon. Figure 301, by my estimation, would have been Aurra Sing (who was in the first wave of figures that followed Koon that winter of 2001).

From Sing (301) to the end of the POTJ line (the AOTC SP figures in 2002) gives us 334 figures total.

Saga 2002 gave us 53 figures total, for a running total of 387.

Saga 2003 gave us 34 figures total, for a running total of 421.

Clone Wars 2003 gave us 10 figures total, for a running total of 431.

Saga 2004 gave us 21 figures total, for a running total of 452.

Animated Clone Wars gave us 11 figures total, for a running total of 463.

Here's where it gets a bit tricky...the OTC:

Vintage OTC gave us 12 figures total, for a running total of 475. But it's the basic OTC where the trickiness comes in...

There were 7 original figures in the OTC line that were not reissues. That gives us 482 total. The problem is that there is a figure that was a basic figure (Holo Palpatine) but it was also an exclusive; and there was a figure that was previously a pack-in (the Scanning Trooper, which theoretically was never released on a card before and would count now since it was) released in the line. I ended up including both figures in the total for the OTC, bringing our running total to a height of 484.

OTC gave us 8 more unique figures in 2005 for a running total of 492. There were four ROTS Sneak Preview figures which would bring the grand total to 496 unique figures released on cards including Hasbro's previous 300 figures up to and including the 300th Fett and counting each unique figure sculpt released on a card since then.

So, just prior to April 2nd, 2005, by my estimation, there had been, not counting variants, paint scheme differences, head sculpt differences, reissues, etc, 496 action figures in the SW line.

That's still three short of Vader being 500. Anybody see something I'm missing, or is Hasbro just going to claim that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda from the start of ROTS are 497, 498, and 499?

What about the 25th aniversary sets? It is possible that they count as 1 or even two each. Then there is also Jorg Sacul. So if the count as 2 each that would be seven more, eliminate the 4 sneak preivew and you have 500. I'm pretty sure the 500# refers to when it is produced not when it was released meaning the Vader was made before any ROTS product.

Thanks, but it honestly didn't take me very long to do. With Hasbro numbering the figures from 2002 on, it took out a lot of guess work as I could easily look at my database I have of my own collection and say, "That's a repack, that's a repaint" and so on. I'm actually going to sit down later tonight and type up the full list that I had (at the very least from the 300th Fett on to 500) so I'll know who went where and such.

This is what happens when you have a severe sinus infection that renders you stuck in one spot for hours on end.

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What about the 25th aniversary sets? It is possible that they count as 1 or even two each. Then there is also Jorg Sacul.

The 25th Anniversary sets I didn't include because they were not basic action figures sold on cards. In what would be a "master list" I would definitely include them, but for the purposes of the Basic list, they wouldn't fit. Sacul, though, I hadn't thought of.

I've also run into some problems with the Imperial Scanning Trooper based on Hasbro's rationale back in 2001 for Carbonite Han being figure 100 and Mara Jade being 200. Hasbro claimed at that time that the figures were not counted in terms of when they were released, but when they were developed. Since the Scanning Trooper existed as a pack-in 7 years before he debuted on a card, I probably shouldn't have included him, or if he stayed, I would have to include the MOTDS Vader and Maul on my list (which I didn't) for the same reasons. So I'm going to revise my own list and figure out who belongs and who doesn't.

I'm also going to try and do an honest-to-goodness Master List with every single figure that has been produced in the POTF2 to now era (someone else can add Vintage, as I'm in the dark almost completely as to the Droids and Ewoks lines) at some point, but that's just a dream I have of killing some free time one day.

It's been quite a while since I've really bothered figuring out where we stand on the total number of basic carded figures to date, just in case Hasbro wanted to surprise us with something cool similar to the 300th Fett from the POTJ line a couple years ago. So I've put together some rough numbers here, with a few debatable figures and sublines, I'm sure. I'll try to notate some of those issues at the end here, so you guys can comment and maybe we can come to a general consensus as to where we really stand.

But by my count here, it looks like #500 will actually be the very last Saga figure this year - one of the Bespin figures. Pull out the questionable Star Tours and animated Clone Wars line though, and you wind up with #500 being somewhere in the middle of the OTC run. Perhaps Hasbro could instead do a #500 for just the modern era though, which would obviously be a bit further down the line. So without further ado, here's my preliminary breakdown, based on some quick research. It's by no means dead-on accurate, I'm sure - so feel free to give me your numbers, and answers to my questions below, so we can make any adjustments to this list, as necessary. I'll try to break these down as much as possible, just to help further isolate any potential issues or inconsistencies.

Here's some notes on what I did and didn't include. Feel free to discuss them!

- Episode 1 - included all 4 Battle Droid variants (clean, dirty, shot, slashed)- POTJ - included clean and dirty Biker Scout, plus the 300th (boxed) Fett- Saga - included both head variants for the RFT and IO- Clone Wars (regular) - includes Red ARC Trooper- Exclusives - I didn't include any of the Silver anniversary figures, or Jorg Sacul- I suppose the inclusion of both the Star Tours and the animated Clone Wars figures is up for debate, but I've included them for now. I also hate to include the stupid vintage Ewoks and Droids lines, but since Hasbro included them for the 300th Fett figure count, I suppose they should be in here too.

Speaking of #500, what would you guys want to potentially see as a figure for this special occassion, should Hasbro actually do something? Me, I'd say it's got to be an "ultimate" figure, with the most amazing detail, accuracy, articulation, and accessories. I'm probably thinking either a Tatooine or Jedi Luke, with ALL the fixin's. Yeah, I know we've had a million Tatooine Lukes already, and we also just got a couple Jedi ones too, but I'd love to get some cool $10 box set here, with a ton of stuff. A Tatooine Luke similar to the special 100th 12" figure Luke, that came with like a bazillion accessories, pretty much covering him from the entire ANH movie. Or a Jedi Luke, with enough removable clothing parts, interchangeable hands, and accessories to cover his entire ROTJ role. Either one of those would be very cool with me. Rumblings of a 500th Vader are also floating around the net as well. I think I could handle that figure too!

So, what do you guys think? What are your numbers on where we stand, and who would you like to get as a figure? Think Hasbro will actually do something again, or just blow it off? I think I recall GH running a poll on this topic this last month, so hopefully they're on to something over there, and that a commemorative 500th carded figure is indeed on the way!

When this subject came up at the Hasbro Q & A at C3, they were talking about it being the "500th figure" (including vintage), to which I hollered out from the front row something to the effect of "not even close". Then several of the Hasbro reps kinda gave me/us an odd smirk as if to say "yeah, we know".

It'll be very interesting to see if they stick another figure list on this set (like on the Fett), and if so, how in the hell they're possibly going to justify the 500 number. They don't have a shot in hell, to be honest, so this should be quite amusing...

Unless they go with that "500th figure developed" nonsense, in which case they'd probably have to ditch the whole ROTS line, which will look equally stupid.

Did you count droids that were repaints/different colored plastics as new figures because they came on separate cards? What about figures like Oola, Muftak and Kabe, which were only promo/mail in items?

Just curious, because that could change your numbers too.

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Peacekeeper, when it absolutely, positively has to be nuked in 30 minutes or less. Or the next nuke's free!

Well - going back to Matt's numbers, they can "wiggle" their way out of things by simply making this the 500th "Modern Era" figure. If you subtract out the Vintage, Droids & Ewok lines you are reduced 435 "modern era" figures up to that point. Add in the five more Animated CW figures, the eight POTC figures and the four preview ROTS figures - that brings you to a total of 452. It could be debated as to whether or not you want to include the OTC figures that were re-packaged as POTC figures or not. I'm going to say no.

This squarely can put the 500th Vader figure as the modern 500th figure. Granted ROTS figures #45 - #47 are already out, but that's a minor nit. Heck - if you want to include them simply remove the three exclusives I mentioned above and then replace them with the #45 - #47 figs instead, you'll still get the same result.

Personally, I wish they had just called this figure "Ultimate Darth Vader" and made the figure so g-d articulated and detailed there wouldn't or couldn't ever possibly be a better incarnation of the Dark Lord.

« Last Edit: June 1, 2005, 04:30 PM by Pete_Fett »

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

Personally, I wish they had just called this figure "Ultimate Darth Vader" and made the figure so g-d articulated and detailed there wouldn't or couldn't ever possibly be a better incarnation of the Dark Lord.

That woulda been nice... as would the WHOLE Meditation Chamber, not just half with a lame cover.

Well - going back to Matt's numbers, they can "wiggle" their way out of things by simply making this the 500th "Modern Era" figure. If you subtract out the Vintage, Droids & Ewok lines...

Yeah, I think a few pages back I took a stab at it that way as well Peter, and hypothesized that Hasbro could come pretty dang close using that method instead. But I'm almost positive that they said at C3 that the 500 number included the vintage line again, as it did with the Fett. I can't remember if I blurted that question out to them at the Q & A when I was getting on their case about it, or if I asked them later on at their booth, but I'm fairly certain that they addressed it at some point and said the vintage figures were in.

When this subject came up at the Hasbro Q & A at C3, they were talking about it being the "500th figure" (including vintage), to which I hollered out from the front row something to the effect of "not even close". Then several of the Hasbro reps kinda gave me/us an odd smirk as if to say "yeah, we know".

No kidding. I remember the ordering on the back of the Fett package being really arbitrary (Han Carbonite being 100 was the first clue that something was way off), but the more I try to figure out what figures they have included in their 500, the more confused I get.

Actually, I'd just say that "500th Figure" is something Hasbro slapped on the package to sell a special Darth Vader figure to everyone who already has 500 Darth Vaders. After all, what is so special about "496th/523rd/747th Figure?"

And yeah, to clarify, Matt and I apparently used the same strategy of not counting repacks, but I also left out paint variants (the different Episode I Battle Droids were counted as 1 instead of 4) that did not make a new figure (as such, K-3P0 was included on the list). I also stuck with figures available on the mass market, meaning that exclusives like Sacul and (in reviewing my own list) the Holographic Emperor were excluded.

I think it would be funny, once we could all figure out which figure was figure 500, if we printed up stickers that said "THE REAL 500TH FIGURE: MON MOTHMA" or something like that (just an example) and stuck them on all of that figure at retail. Naturally this would have to be a pegwarmer, but still, it would be funny. To me at least.